Patients’ Own Cells Could be Key to Treating Crohn’s Disease

A new technique using patients’ own modified cells to treat Crohn’s disease has been proven to be effective in experiments using human cells, with a clinical trial of the treatment expected to start in the next six months.

Researchers developed the technique by studying white blood cells taken from patients who have Crohn’s disease, and comparing them to cells of healthy people. Their findings allowed cell therapy specialists to develop a treatment involving taking patients’ cells, and growing them in a special culture so that they behave more like cells from healthy people.

The research, published in the journal Gastroenterology, shows that this technique is effective in human cells, meaning it is ready for use in a clinical trial for treating Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease is a lifelong condition in which parts of the digestive system become severely inflamed, causing a range of symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach aches, tiredness and weight loss. Its causes are unknown, but the immune system is known to play a part.

According to study author Graham Lord, “This is the next frontier in cell therapy, as we’re going beyond treating the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, and trying to reset the immune system to address the condition.

Rachel Sawyer, a communications manager diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2000 said: “One of the worst things for me was the unpredictability, particularly around needing the toilet in a hurry. Having Crohn’s completely re-routes your daily life and makes it hard to do the normal things most of us take for granted like going out socially or taking public transport. Even now, the fear of it is never really far from my mind.

“Another difficult thing is the stigma associated with bowel disease. It’s difficult to talk and be open about it, even with family and friends. I found life very isolating and challenging at times – and that’s something so many people with Crohn’s experience, regardless of whether they were diagnosed years ago or last month. For people diagnosed young, it can impact on the formative years of their life.

“Anything that could help people with Crohn’s have the confidence to go out and get back to being the people they were destined to be would be a game-changer.”

The researchers found that specialised white blood cells called regulatory T cells from Crohn’s patients produced less of a gut-specific protein called integrin α4β7 than regulatory T cells from healthy people. Working with the specialists at the NIHR Guy’s and St Thomas’ BRC’s Advanced Therapies Manufacturing Platform, they developed a cell therapy technique based on these findings.

This technique involves developing cells from the Crohn’s disease patients with a molecule called RAR568, which restores healthy levels of integrin α4β7. The cells are then given back to patients by intravenous infusion.

Dr Peter Irving, a Consultant Gastroenterologist and co-author on the paper, said: “While the treatments available for Crohn’s disease have increased over recent years, they only work in some patients. In addition, the treatments have potentially serious side effects in some patients. This research paves the way for a trial of using patients’ own cells to treat their Crohn’s disease and we look forward to offering people the chance to take part in the very near future.”

Active, middle-aged men able to complete more than 40 push-ups had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes – including coronary artery disease and heart failure – compared with those who were able to do less than 10 push-ups during the baseline exam.

Animal experiments have shown that caloric restriction causes cellular changes that can prevent diseases. Researchers have now shown that low-calorie meals have a protective effect against some diseases.

A combination of two drugs — one of them an immunotherapy agent — could become a new standard, first-line treatment for patients with metastatic kidney cancer, results from a phase 3 clinical trial suggest.

Children living in homes with all vinyl flooring or flame-retardant chemicals in the sofa have significantly higher concentrations of potentially harmful semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in their blood or urine than children from homes where these materials are not present.

Some of the damaging cell effects linked to aging could be prevented by manipulating tiny parts of cells, a study shows. Scientists have shed light on how the harm caused by senescence – a vital cell process that plays a key role in diseases of aging – could be controlled or even stopped.

Scientists studying the relationship of telomeres to cancer made a surprising discovery: a cellular recycling process called autophagy – generally thought of as a survival mechanism – actually promotes the death of cells, thereby preventing cancer initiation.

Regular use of common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen significantly improves survival for a third or more patients with head and neck cancer, improving overall five-year survival rate from 25 percent to 78 percent.

A drug currently being developed to treat stroke patients could also prevent Alzheimer's disease. Researchers report that the compound protects the brains of mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms, reducing the buildup of toxic peptides and preventing memory loss.